The American Embassy in Vientiane made a short video after getting 50,000 likes on their Facebook page. In this video, the ambassador and his staff share what they like about Laos. Surprisingly, they speak Lao quite well!

Friday, October 23, 2015

This is the ninth part of a 10-part series on LGBT rights in Southeast Asia, which uncovers the challenges facing the LGBT community in the region and highlights the courageous work of activists there.

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If there is one word to describe the LGBT community in Laos, the landlocked nation sandwiched between Thailand and Vietnam, it might just be “invisible.”

Laos, like Vietnam, is one of the world's few remaining communist states. And, like its neighbor, it has been strictly ruled by its communist government since 1975.

The country, which is predominantly Buddhist, has been condemned in recent years for its abysmal human rights record. The Department of State said in 2013 that “societal discrimination based on sexual orientation and against persons with HIV/AIDS” was prevalent, among other abuses of human rights.

National Geographic is one of my favourite magazines. I've tracked every print article they've ever done specifically on Laos in their main magazine. Unfortunately, there hasn't been many.

Photo Credit: The Royal procession, pyre, and urn in Luangprabang, Laos.
National Geographic, 1961 August issue.

Here's the list. If I've missed any, do let me know in the comments. Keep in mind this doesn't include articles where Laos may have been a part of but not exclusively covered in a particular article. It also
doesn't include online coverage by National Geographic on Laos.

Thursday, October 8, 2015

Dr. Chris Brown, a Canadian doctor, has been going to Laos for the past 15 years helping and teaching at the Lao University of Health Sciences. The program that he is a part of is the Lao Rural Health Initiative by the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary.

He still lives and works in Canada, however he continues to make regular visits to Laos to contribute at the Lao university. Further, it is by Dr. Brown's initiative that this story is being shared to to the world with this documentary which he made with the help of Lightfalls Production.